Scooter Braun Talks Philanthropy, Says Justin Bieber Will Explain Tour Cancellation 'When He's ...

Appearing on 'CBS This Morning,' he also discussed Kanye West and his political aspirations.

Scooter Braun is manager to the industry's biggest stars in Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Kanye West, but has also stepped up lately in the face of tragedy as one of music's leading philanthropists. On Thursday (Sept. 21), he opened up with Gayle King on CBS This Morning, discussing his charitable efforts -- including the Hand in Hand hurricane relief benefit and the One Love Manchester concert -- and up-and-down relationship with Bieber over the years. 

He also revealed how West personally called him to inform him that he wanted Braun to be his manager. 

"We'd been friends a long time. And all of a sudden -- one thing led to another. And I told him, 'Look, I probably shouldn't manage you. We're friends. Better not doing...' He goes, 'No, you need to be part of the team,'" Braun recalled. "And I said, 'Well, why don't we get together in a week and we'll see?' And, like, the next day, I get a phone call from Adidas and Def Jam saying, 'We were told to deal with you, that you're in charge.'"

Braun continued, "I call Kanye and I said, 'I thought we'd talk in a week.' He goes, 'I don't have time to wait a week. You're in.' And that was that."

As far as Bieber goes, Braun gave loose insight into the notion that there might be more to why Bieber decided to cancel the final 14 dates of his Purpose Tour in July. Braun cited that Bieber is "family" to him and that making the decision to abruptly end the tour was "extremely difficult" for Bieber. 

"Look, I think he'll decide to tell people when he's ready of what exactly happened. But I think he was making a decision, like he said, to protect himself. But he's 23 years old, now," Braun said. "And if he makes a decision as a man, as long as he's willing to listen to opinions and hear people out -- if he has true conviction -- I'm willing to have his back." 

Braun detailed that during Bieber's rock bottom, Braun's father told him, "Look, your responsibility isn't to change him. It's to be a rock."

More recently, Braun has been the face of philanthropy in music by organizing the One Love Manchester benefit concert on June 4 to raise funds for the victims of a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande's concert in the U.K. city the month prior. And then, when hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas and Florida (as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories) respectively, Braun partnered with rapper Bun B to put together the Hand in Hand telethon on Sept. 12.

When asked whether he is considering running for governor of California, Braun responded, "No, I'm thinking about getting more involved with our leadership. And I'm thinking about what can I do to help as a citizen, and, you know, what can I do with the platform I've been given to try and lead people to a place to remember the same people we're yelling at are the people we're claiming to help." 

Watch the full CBS This Morning segment here.

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